Spanish youth do not have a good image of the university. 53% of university graduates maintain that what they have studied does not meet the demands of the labor market. Four out of 10 see that there are overqualified students, the same proportion as those who consider that the time and money invested in their training do not justify the subsequent benefit. 37% think that our campuses are further behind than those of other European countries.
The data comes from the first study carried out by the Fundación Conocimiento y Desarrollo (CYD), chaired by Ana Botín, on society’s assessment of the quality of the university system. The field work has been carried out by GAD3 in a representative sample of 1,012 people. The interesting thing is to know the perception that young people have about their studies, more negative than that of their elders. In fact, 30% of those who are of university age (18 to 29 years old) do not have a good opinion of the university and 27% believe that it does not provide professional advantages.
The work confirms the “lack of adjustment between university education and the labor market”. 90% of all those interviewed affirm that the university should have job placement and professional development as priorities, but 48% (53% in the case of graduates) believe that university education has little or nothing to do with the market demands.
In addition, 33% of those surveyed (38% in the case of young people) denounce that there are university students who perform a job for which they are overqualified, figures that are in line with those exposed by another Report from the same foundation. , which shows that in Spain 36% of higher education graduates work in positions that are not highly qualified, the highest percentage in the EU.
What problems do you see in the Spanish university? 70% citizens consider that teaching is very theoretical and impractical, an opinion that is especially widespread among the youngest group, where this percentage reaches 76%.
On the other hand, 55% express that the university should increase the level of demand for students to access and continue their studies. While 44% of those interviewed say that the Spanish university has a remarkable quality, although it does not exercise a special international leadership.
There is also a majority that exceeds 70% that indicates that universities should be specialized in some disciplines and not be as general as they are now, as well as be more accountable for their objectives and their contribution to society and the common good. Numerous studies -including those of this foundation- have pointed to the need to improve governance to provide the university with greater autonomy and to be able to undertake measures that contribute to improving quality and indicators such as employability.
As regards university financing, 87% of those surveyed believe that it should be economically accessible to all and 82% believe that it should be totally free. They are also a majority -60%- who consider that the current scholarship system is insufficient.
Of course, despite the criticism, an overwhelming majority of respondents would return to university. 88% of those who have completed university studies would make the same decision again, and, of these, 41% would repeat the center and the degree. Among those who have not gone to university, 51% say they would go if they could choose, while 27% would opt for Vocational Training studies.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
